Guelph should have more medical clinics

Guelph Mercury

Re:

I am so very upset. I was sick for a week and thought it was just a cold. But it wasn’t improving and my sore throat had worsened. I waited to call my doctor for an appointment, but couldn’t call on Wednesday, May 18, because the office is closed in the afternoon. So, I called first thing Thursday morning and my call was answered by a recording saying that the office would be closed until May 24. I was directed to the Surrey Street after-hours clinic for non-emergency matters.

I called it, but a recording stated it was closed that Wednesday, but would be open at 6 p.m. the next day and then closed for the holiday weekend including Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. I arrived at the clinic at 5:50 p.m. on the Thursday to see a sign on the door telling us the clinic was closed until Tuesday, May 24.

Well, isn’t that nice! There are no other clinics in Guelph. My only option was the Guelph General Hospital. We all know how nice it is to sit in the emergency room for eight hours.?

I then called other surrounding cities to see if I could go to one of their clinics. Thankfully, one in Kitchener was open Friday.

Not only is one clinic not enough for a city this size, surely another doctor could have filled in on Thursday.

I was not the only person that showed up to a closed clinic. I sat in the parking lot trying to figure out where else I could go and saw many people come and go. One had even showed up in a cab.